Barium fluoratum Case
(taken by Rienk Stuut)
A man, aged 30, came because of swollen glands in his neck. He was afraid that he had cancer, because a friend of his had also had this and he later proved to have cancer of the testes. Before he had these swollen glands, he did have pain in the testes for a while. He is also afraid of aids, because he has had many casual sexual relationships. His glands are hard and painful.
He is allergic to house dust and mite. This makes his eyes burn, with itching at the back of the throat. It also makes him aggressive: he gets attacks of anger and he smashes and throws things around. His complaints are worse when he is busy or when he is being hurt. This makes him angry, but he says: 'I ignore my feeling of being hurt'.
Temperature: cold.
Childhood: he was a quiet and timid child who could spend all day playing with coca-cola bottle tops. Later on the other side of his nature came to the foreground. He could be very aggressive and impulsive. The aggression was often directed against himself: he would walk into a glass door, or he would cut his wrists. He took a lot of drugs: hash, cocaine, opium, alcohol. He likes taking risks: once he tried what would happen if he took off the handbrake while his car was standing on a steep hill.
His parents come from different social backgrounds. His mother ran away from home to marry his father. They were poor, but 'the outside world did not have to see that'. This has made him very class-conscious. He believes that 'once a beggar, always a beggar'. His parents' house was full of 'kitsch'.
MInd: he has a very strong sexual drive, which is sometimes difficult for his girlfriend to keep up with. She doesn’t always feel like his long sessions, but sometimes does it just to please him. This touches him so deeply that he often cries like a child. He does not like any show of affection after making love, it makes him shy, like a little boy and his head starts to itch. Once, during an orgasm, he suddenly saw a picture of a three-wheeler race he took part in when he was a little boy. He was in a winning position, but he forgot to change lanes and was disqualified. This in itself was quite fair, he thought, but he was deeply disappointed by the reaction of his parents. They swore and shouted at him, calling him a stupid idiot. Since then he has always had the feeling that he must score success, also sexually.
In reality he is very shy, but he doesn’t show it, he 'puffs himself up' and becomes aggressive.
He is very irresponsible with money, he gambles and has many debts.
Relationship: When he had his first girlfriend he was very afraid to let go of her, because 'who else would ever love me?' In spite of this attitude, many women fell for him and he desperately needed this too.
Analysis
The aggression is very much in the foreground. One could think of Hep, Merc, or Nit-ac. But these remedies had no effect. Fl-ac might be suitable but doesn’t fit because of the coldness and the desire for a steady relationship. During subsequent consultations it became more and more clear that the aggression was overlying a deep feeling of shyness and inferiority. This reminds us of the Baryta's. When we combine the Baryta with the Fluor element, we get Bar-f. Then it all suddenly fits: the social position of his parents, his attitude towards money, and his steady relationship with the many casual contacts in between. One could call it all a childish way of wanting to make an impression.
Reaction
After Bar-f he started to put his life in order. He paid off his debts (also to his homoeo-path!), took a job as a dustman, and his relationship improved enormously. His complaints disappeared completely.